[500PS!!!!]
"Dada-da-da!!!"
The thunderous pounding of hooves echoed like a war drum. Seiran Nichirin wasn't the least bit fazed by the announcer's excitement. Her steps remained steady as she ran atop the mud, compacted by the powerful strides of the Pace Chasers ahead.
"I can't attack recklessly... I need to conserve enough strength for the final straight!"
Her expression was tense. This track didn't just affect the others—it was affecting her too.
So, she chose to bide her time in the middle of the pack, letting the Pace Chasers clear the way and conserve her strength by avoiding unnecessary exertion in this sludgy, waterlogged course.
"Fujimasa March's adaptability to this heavy ground is beyond imagination... If I don't unleash a stronger and faster final burst, I'll lose!"
The mere thought of defeat sent a wave of icy air radiating from Seiran Nichirin, even colder than the rain-soaked air around her.
Her once-beautiful eyes now shimmered with a glacial, unforgiving chill.
"I won't lose!!!"
Up front—
Harukani Mugen was struggling, barely able to keep swinging her arms as her lungs burned like fire and her thighs turned sluggish.
"Why... Why is this happening... We've only just reached the fourth corner...?"
A pained look crossed her face. This race was only a 1700-meter mile course. She had never reached her stamina limit at such a short distance before.
Why now?
She glanced ahead—and froze in shock.
When had the gap grown this wide?
Fujimasa March, once just two lengths ahead, had now widened the distance to four lengths without her even realizing it.
"My pace was disrupted... I've been thrown off rhythm?!"
She had been too deep in the race to notice the interference. Only now, when her body was breaking down, did she realize she'd been led astray.
The slick mud, pooling water, and pouring rain—these factors combined to make the course a completely different beast from a normal dirt track.
In these conditions, trying to maintain your usual pace was suicidal. It drained too much stamina for the same distance.
"But if I don't keep up...!"
She grit her teeth hard, eyes locked on the ash-gray figure ahead of her who seemed utterly unfazed by the storm.
"I have to move! Come on, body!!"
"Ahhh!"
With a fierce roar, the usually cheerful and lively Harukani Mugen contorted her face in a grimace, forcing herself to push forward.
"They're approaching the end of the fourth corner! Number 4, Fujimasa March, is showing no signs of fatigue! Is she really going to front-run all the way to the finish in the Keihin Cup?!"
"The other Uma Musume seem too exhausted to give chase!"
Though the fourth corner was gentler, many of the racers were simply out of energy. They couldn't both resist the centrifugal force and push into the final straight.
With their pace shattered by Fujimasa March's rhythm, several even stumbled dangerously—some nearly fell and risked injury.
Tension spread throughout the pack like wildfire.
Back in the middle group, Seiran Nichirin inhaled deeply, drawing in as much oxygen as she could.
"I can't wait any longer... If I don't go now, I won't be able to catch up in the final straight!"
"Then here I go!!"
BOOM!!!
The strength she had stored exploded in an instant. Right before the final straight, Seiran Nichirin broke free from the group like a bullet!
She had gradually shifted to the outer lanes during the mid-race, and now—there was no one ahead to block her.
Her terrifying final burst struck the crowd like lightning!
That cyan-blue figure was now closing the gap with the Pace Chasers at astonishing speed!
"She's coming! Seiran Nichirin has broken through and surged from behind!"
The spent racers had nothing left to answer her with. One by one, she blazed past them like a storm.
"Seiran Nichirin is accelerating! She's closing in on the front runners!" the commentator shouted with passion.
"You've gotta be kidding me...!"
Harukani Mugen gasped for breath, catching sight of the figure rapidly closing in on her, emitting an icy chill that sent shivers through her spine.
She still had energy left?!
...
"So this is the power of overactivated True Blooming..." Kuroha said with a grave face.
"Hmph, that speed? Please. I could jog faster than that," Inari One scoffed, arms crossed, puffing up proudly. "March is definitely gonna win!"
Hearing her overconfidence, Kuroha chuckled, then replied seriously, "Yeah. March will definitely win."
...
Harukani Mugen had nothing left in the tank. She couldn't stop Seiran Nichirin.
Within seconds, that icy blue figure surged up beside her—and passed.
"Out of the way."
The voice, cold as death, carried an obsessive will that pierced the soul. Seiran Nichirin tore through the wind, bypassing the crowd, and zeroed in on Fujimasa March.
Behind them, the others could only watch in hopeless despair as the gap grew.
At the very front—
Fujimasa March turned slightly, catching the fast-approaching presence from the corner of her eye. Her lips curved upward into a smile.
"Come on, then. If you think you can catch me!"
Since Oguri Cap left the local circuit, Fujimasa March hadn't faced a rival who could match her.
In her final race at Kasamatsu, she left the others so far behind it wasn't even a contest.
But now—this opponent awakened the wild instincts she had buried deep.
The howling storm whipped around her, and from somewhere deep within, an unfamiliar force surged to life.
This power carried her remaining strength into one final, overwhelming push!
[Uma Musume Data Update Registered]
[Fujimasa March]
[Unique Skill: Ode of the Wind Lv. 1]→[Unique Skill: Ode of the Wind Lv. 2] (TL: Decided the name to be this one, I like it more.)
"Seiran Nichirin is in hot pursuit of Fujimasa March! Can she catch her? March is on the run!"
Through the driving rain and slicing winds, the two shot forward. Anyone standing near could hear the sonic booms from their pure velocity!
"Can Seiran Nichirin catch up?! 100 meters to go—distance—!"
Then the commentator's shocked voice faltered as the truth became clear.
Seiran Nichirin's eyes widened in disbelief.
"The gap... isn't shrinking?!"
There they were: two silhouettes blazing down the straight, yet the space between them had frozen in time. No matter how hard she pushed, Seiran couldn't gain another inch.
If she was riding the wind's current, then that ash-gray girl ahead was walking on air itself.
Even when she closed the gap, Fujimasa March had burst forth again—like she had infinite stamina.
"I'm supposed to be faster... stronger!!!"
Seiran's mouth fell open.
She swung her arms. She pumped her legs. But... why? Why wasn't it enough?
"I just need... a little more... I can still—"
BZZZZT—
Suddenly, a sharp jolt of pain seized her lower leg, snapping her awareness back. Her eyes darted down.
"Ah... So I'm... already tired?"
All those days and nights of endless training, the vow she swore to win no matter what—they had fueled a growth no one could match.
But no miracle is truly infinite.
Now, that unnatural growth was demanding its toll.
The two Uma Musume continued their mad dash through the rain, parallel points on the same line, racing full speed toward the finish.
"Seiran Nichirin can no longer catch up to Fujimasa March! Unbelievable—she still has that much stamina after front-running the whole way!"
"Finish!"
"She wins! Fujimasa March claims victory with a 5-length lead!"
"And second place goes to... Seiran Nichirin...!"
As Fujimasa March crossed the finish line, the final prelude of the South Kanto Triple Crown—the Keihin Cup—came to a close.
(End of Chapter)
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